Questioning the lack of support behind Human Papillomavirus vaccinations
Orange County, CA - August 19th 2016 - Human papillomavirus, or HPV, is a viral infection and the most common sexually transmitted infection affecting as many as 75 percent of individuals who have reached reproductive age. Once infected, the virus will either clear up unaided (90% clear within 2 years), or it can also cause certain forms of cancer. Symptoms can appear years later, or never at all making it difficult to determine when, and if, you were infected.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that in the United States alone, approximately 30,000 new cases of cancer linked to HPV are diagnosed each year. Most of these cancers linked to the virus could be prevented through vaccination, so why do rates remain low?
Some states have been attempting to pass legislature requiring HPV vaccine requirements for school entry for years with no success. Only Virginia, Rhode Island, and Washington D.C. have passed vaccine requirements. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers began looking into why vaccination rates were so low and found that support for the vaccine was higher when there was an option to opt-out. Support increased to almost 60% if there was an option to opt-out, but doing so would decrease the effectiveness of vaccination rates as many parents would choose not to vaccinate their children.
A big problem researchers are finding is that parents don’t understand the effects of HPV. The most commonly encountered parental barriers were concerns about vaccine safety, lack of education and understanding about HPV, and negative media reports about the vaccine. Some parents even expressed concern that their favor of vaccination would imply that they consent to their child having premarital sex. When asked, only 40 percent of parents agreed that the vaccine was effective in preventing cervical cancer.
There are more than 150 related viruses that fall into the group of HPV and there are two vaccines available, both delivered in three shots over six months, which can prevent initial infection in both men and women. One of the authors, William Calo, JD, PhD, has said the way to bring vaccination rates up is for physicians and other health care providers to take responsibility for their patient’s health and recommend that they get vaccinated.
